Leopard Gecko Care Sheet
December 1, 2020
Leopard Gecko Care Sheet
(Eublepharis Macularius)
Table of contents:
ENCLOSURES
DECOR & HIDES
HEATING
FEEDING & WATERING
SHEDDING
VITAMINS
CLEANING
I’m so passionate about this species for many reasons! They make excellent pets because they’re easy to keep, they’re typically super chill, they don’t need a ton of space and they're easy to breed with crazy genetic combos and color patterns. I got my first leopard gecko for my 9th birthday in 2006 and fell back in love with the species in 2018. Leopard geckos are probably the greatest pet reptile ever.
ENCLOSURES
Leopard geckos can be kept in glass terrariums, reptile racks, or plastic containers, as long as there are holes drilled into the containers to ensure that the geckos are able to breathe. I wouldn’t recommend anything smaller than the size of a shoebox to house a single gecko. A ten gallon tank can comfortably hold one to two geckos, so I would recommend sizing up if you plan on housing more than that in a single container.
DECOR & HIDES
For the inside of the tank, I prefer to use paper towels as substrate for these geckos because they’re easy to change when it’s cleaning time and they pose less of a threat to the gecko’s health than something like sand. When it comes to hides, I typically provide around two or three per enclosure. I tend to use toilet paper rolls or the plastic hides and coconut hides that can be found in my shop. There should be at least one hide on the cool side of the tank and one on the warm side.
HEATING
There are a ton of ways to get the proper heat for your gecko (heat cable, heat pad, heat lamp, CHE) so just make sure that the method that you go with best coincides with your enclosure type. For instance, you shouldn't use a heat lamp with a plastic enclosure and so on. I would not recommend using anything inside of the actual tank that emits heat, like a heat rock. I suggest using a thermostat or a light dimmer to regulate the temperature of your heat source. I aim for 89 degrees on the warm side of the tank and about 75 degrees on the cool side (or room temperature).
FEEDING AND WATERING
Before being shipped, GeckBro geckos are fed twice a week-- once at the beginning of the week and again towards the end of the week. I recommend using a variety of feeder insects, including dubia roaches, mealworms, superworms, crickets, etcetera. Instead of hand feeding my geckos, I typically leave a bowl of mealworms in the enclosure for them to snack on during the week and throw in a handful of crickets. Your gecko should have fresh water at all times, which can be done by either providing a water dish and cleaning the surface regularly.
SHEDDING
Adult geckos typically don’t have a problem with shedding, so this information most often applies to younger geckos. When your gecko is in shed, it’s always a good idea to lightly spray part of the enclosure or provide a moist hide, which can be done by using Sphagnum Moss or lightly spraying a hide on the cool side of the enclosure. You should especially watch for shed on your gecko’s toes and make sure that your gecko removes all of its shed completely in order to avoid circulation issues or other health problems. But, like I said, most geckos are pretty good at shedding so issues with this are uncommon.
VITAMINS
Every leopard gecko requires D3 Calcium in order to grow healthy bones and survive. Larger feeders like crickets and dubias should be dusted in D3 Calcium before given to your gecko so that you can ensure your gecko is getting the proper nutrients needed. I also like to provide a small dish with D3 Calcium in the enclosure (I typically use the cap of a water bottle) so that the gecko can lick up the Calcium whenever it wants. You can leave smaller feeders, like mealworms, in a dish with other minerals and vitamins.
CLEANING
Cleaning up after your leopard gecko is relatively simple. Just make sure that you remove dead feeder insects within a timely manner. Geckos tend to use the bathroom in one specific spot in their enclosure, so just watch for that area and replace the substrate as needed. It’s a good idea to clean the entire enclosure at least a few times every year.